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Pecking Order

Ah, the holidays... the time of year where I juggle where to go, how long and how I will make sure my munchkins are taken care of.

This year I was fortunate in that my girlfriend Deb's parents had Thanksgiving early. They wanted to accomodate their large family's scattered Thanksgiving Day plans, so everyone trekked up to northern New Hampshire for dinner this past Saturday. (okay, Deb and I trekked, most of her relatives live near her parents)

I had only met Deb's Mom in September, so I was a little nervous to meet her Dad for the first time. Of course everything went smoothly and Deb's Dad and I got along very well. I found myself wishing I had brought extra clothes because not only was it snowing quite a bit at Deb's parents', they had all sorts of animals there, too!

The best I got to do was see Gizmo the ostrich:

I kept ducking because Gizmo kept making like he was going to peck at my head.

Deb's family tradition each year is to play very competitive games of Pictionary... my team kicked butt, I'm pleased to say! Note the intense concentration:

Yes, the boy on the far right is the youngest son of the woman I dated over the summer... long story.

On the kitten front, everyone's growing up fast and doing beautifully! Deb ended up adopting two of Hannah's kittens, Lucy and Pete. Lucy's already acting like the spoiled Maine Coon royalty that her breed dictates her to be. See here as she naps luxuriously on Deb:

Deb has 2 dogs, a Chihuahua and a Black Lab. The kittens didn't take very long when it came to adjusting to them, though I can't get them all to stay still long enough for photos! But stay tuned... this year's Christmas card photo should be interesting!

I'd also like to take this time to extend a PSA to all you holiday drivers, courtesy of my friend who does PR for GMAC insurance. GMAC is promoting "Drive Safer Sunday." I guess studies show that the Sunday after Thanksgiving has the highest rates of auto accidents.

The website offers 5 tips for driving safer, but if you ask me, some of the tips are really just ways to piss off the driver and effectively end any opportunities to travel with them again. Take #5 for instance:

Be a backseat driver. Remind whoever is driving to be careful.

Any back seat drivers in my car are promptly rewarded by getting tossed out on the side of the highway. And besides, if my passengers really want to help me, they can pitch in a few bucks towards gas and a new set of tires.

Yeah, that's right- I'm not driving a car, it's a sled! My tires are beyond bald. I really need to get to BJs for new tires before the snow really sets in, yikes.

So here's a holiday driving tip- Stay away from the bright blue Sentra who's tires are still, yet the vehicle's in motion...